"First one to drop one's a monkey!" Sam's a lawyer - a good one by his own account - but poor because he forgets to send out bills to his clients. The concept is staggering. Still, Sam seems a nice enough guy, though he spends perhaps a tad too much time with children and not enough time buying furniture that can actually be sat upon. |
"That's what Christmas is all about, Mr. Prune; so that one day...they'll learn to give too." People who hate this film love to harp upon the fact that the Santa character seems morose and depressing. On the contrary, I find this Santa more real than most I've seen in other movies. This one is in financial trouble - a very real thing that happens to real people. Some people may feel that Santa should be exempt from such "real" worries as paying his rent on time, but I disagree. I like Santa this way: feeling, and real. |
"If he makes enough money to pay the rent, I'm ruined! I am ruined!" Quite possibly my favorite film villain of all time, Phineas T. Prune is mean and sneering and yet full of personality. He's like an old-time melodrama baddie with a shorter moustache and a fossilized butler. He's fantastic and I don't see how anyone could not enjoy his presence in this film. His accent makes him even more inexplicable - for wasn't he born and raised in that house in the same town all those people without accents live in? It just adds to the comedy. |
